CMS Updates 2013 PQRS Measures of Significance to PTs

The
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the updated measures
specifications for the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) for the 2013
reporting year, which include changes to 3 measures of importance to physical
therapists—Body Mass Index Screening (#128), Pain Assessment (#131), and
Functional Outcome Assessment (#182). The measure specifications provide
program participants with important information such as the measure definition,
reporting instructions, and the qualifying case information (numerator and
denomination definitions), which include the relevant quality data codes for
reporting.

Practitioners
also should note that additional quality data codes have been added to measures
#128 and #131. CMS has made changes to the definition of an existing quality
data code for measure #182.

Physical
therapists who currently are participating or plan to participate in the
Calendar Year 2013 PQRS program are strongly encouraged to review the 2013
measures specifications for those measures that they are planning to report in
2013. APTA will revise all podcasts for those measures with changes in 2013.

See
the new 2013 measures specifications for further details located on APTA's PQRS webpage
under the "2013 PQRS Measure Details" section.